Rotary cutoff machine with radially movable cutters



ROTARY CUTOFF MACHINE WITH RADIALLY MOVABLE CUTTERS Filed May 14, 1956A. H. LONG July 14, 1959 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 m6 3% ZZ U w M A. H. LONG July14, 1959 ROTARY CUTOFF MACHINE WITH RADIALLY MOVABLE CUTTERS Filed May14. 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 mmvron. A e THUR H. L ONG H/Q A Train/Ev July14, 1959 Y 'A.. H. LONG 2,894,582

ROTARY CUTOFF MACHINE WITH RADIALLY MOVABLE CUTTERS Filed May 14, 1956 sShee ts-Sheet s INVENTOR. Aer/402 H. L 0N6 H15 A rroau: v-

United States Patent ROTARY CUTOFF MACHINE wrrn RADIALLY MOVABLE CUTTERSY Arthur Long, Mount Lebanon, Pa., assign or to Wm.

K. Stamets Company, Pittsburgh, Pa a corporation ofsPennsylvaniaApplication May 14, 1956, Serial No; 584,597 Claims. (Cl. 164-60) Thisinvention relates generally to machine tools and more particularly to amachine for cutting off lengths of stock such as pipe.

. A machine comprising this invention is an improvement over thatdisclosed in my Patent No. 2,681,106

issued June 16, 1954. The cutoif machinecomprising this invention may.be operated automatically or manually in severing predetermined lengthsof stock or measured varied lengths. This cutoff machine employs rotarycutting discs of which there are three or more rotatably mounted on toolshafts supported ,in

slides that move radially of the stock for feeding the toolsinto thework or retracting the same while work is performed on the stock such ascutting off the same.

In this type of cutoff machine the work is ordinarily held stationarywhile a plurality of cutters rotatev about the same. The problems inmachines of this character reside in the-manner in which the tools arefed into and from the work which problems have been overcome by thepresent invention. In the previous structure the use of conicalantifrictional bearings are keyed to the pumping action of the oilretained within the lubricant reserperforming work on stationary bodieswithout creating a pumping action on the oil in the reservoir and whichalso providesfor movement of the shafts and spindle due to expansion orcontraction of the same under normal operating conditions.

Another object is the provision of a servomotor for operating the toolslide actuating sleeve which motor provides a balance of the forces tothe annular sleeve thereby avoiding excessive wear at concentratedpoints which are present in yoke and trunnion feeder arrangements.

Another object is the provision of improved structural members making upan annular fluid motor that provides a balanced load transmission.

Other objects and advantages appear hereinafter in the followingdescription and claims.

The accompanying drawings show for the purpose of exemplification,without limiting the invention and claims thereto, certain practicalembodiments of the invention wherein:

Fig. 1 is a view in vertical section of a radially fed rotary tool andits actuating mechanism.

Fig. 2 is a transverse view of one' end of the fluid motor comprisingthis invention.

Fig. 3 is a view in vertical section'of a housing for a I 2,894,582Patented July 14, 1959 2 q double-acting annular fluid motor made inthree sections. 6

Fig.4 is an enlarged detail of the structure shown in Fig. '3illustrating the manner of supplying fluid under pressure to one chamberof the fluid motor.

Fig. 5 isan enlarged detail of the structure shown in Fig. 3illustrating the manner of supplying fluid under pressure to the otherchamber of the fluid motor.

Fig. 6 is a schematic view illustrating the fluid supply to thedouble-acting annular fluid motor.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 6 the housing 1 of the cutoff machine is in theform of an annular base that would be mounted on a subbase structureinterposed between coaxially aligned vice or clamping members alongwhich the stock is fed. Since the substructure and vice or clampingmeans do not form a part of this invention, they are not disclosedherein.

The inner housing or base 1 provides an annular reservoir 2 which may beclosed at its upper end by the plate member 3 that is bolted orotherwise secured to the housing. The upper portion of the housingforming the chamber 2 is enlarged as indicated at 4 and is provided withaligned bearings 5 and 6 for supporting the drive shaft 7. The outer endof the drive shaft 7 is provided with a key 8 to receive a drive pulleyof any suitable character frorna prime mover such as an electric motor.Intermediate the bearings 5 and 6 the shaft 7 is provided with a key 10that locks the gear 11 thereto as to rotation but permits the same toslide thereon. The gear 11 is a continuous tooth spiral herring bonegear.

1 The bearing 5 provides two opposed frusto conical is reduced indiameter as indicated at 14 and extends through the seal 15 and thebearing housing 16 that is secured to the housing 4. The reduced shaft14 is provided with a bore to receive the shaft 17 of the positivedisplacement or gear pump 18 which is mounted outside of the housing 4,which gear pump supplies the fluid under pressure for actuating thecirculating oil spray in the chamber 2 which forms a part of thisinvention.

The opposite antifriction bearing 6 is provided with an inner race 20that is cupped to hold the rollers 21. However, the outer race 22 iscylindrical which permits the rollers to move with the inner raceassembly across the cylindrical surface of the outer race 22 to allowfor expansion and contraction movement of the shaft 7.

One side'of the housing 1 is provided with an annular bearing supportingring 23 which carries on its inner facethe tight raced antifriction ballbearing 24. The outer race'25 of which has been split to permit theballs to be assembled on the inner race 26 and then reassembled andclamped together. An antifriction ball bearing of this character havinginner and outer tight races is capable of supporting radial loads aswell as dealing lateral thrusts. This bearing 24 is held on the ring 23by the lock ring 27. The split race 25 permits clearance adjustment.

At the opposite'face of the housing 1 is the bearing 28 which is similarto the bearing 6 in that it is provided with a grooved inner race 30 anda smooth cylindrical outer race 31. However, the rollers 32 are smallerin diameter as, compared to the rollers 21 of the bearing 6. The innerrace 26 of bearing 24 and inner race 30 of the bearing 28 are bothmounted on the cylindrical surface 33 of the rotary spindle 34. Thus forall practical purposes, a single cylindrical surface 33 carries thebearings 24 and 28. The inner race 26 of the ball bearing 24 isshoved-against the shoulder at one end of the cylindrical surface 33 andthe hub 37 of the gear 35 which is keyed to the spindle 34 by the key36, engages the other side of the inner race 26 at one end and the innerside of the race 30 at its other end and this inner race assembly 3 30is secured to the spindle 34 by the annular ring 38. The spindle 34 isprovided with the head 41] which at its inner bore is secured to theguide tube 41 as indicated at 42. The front end of the guide tube 41 isprovided with a guide bell 43.

The outer race 31 of the bearing 28 is held by the annular servo motorhousing 44, the bore of which has a seat to receive the outer race 45 ofthe antifriction ball bearing 46 which is held in position by theannular retainer 47 that provides for an oil seal 43 between theretainer ring 47 which is stationary and the exterior of the guide tube41 which rotates.

The antifriction ball bearing 46 is provided with an inner race 50seated on the tool slide actuating sleeve 51 and held in place by theretainer ring 52. The tool slide actuating sleeve 51 has slidingengagement with the bore '53 of the spindle 34 and is keyed thereto bythe key member 54 to prevent any relative rotary movement by the sleeve51 and the spindle 34. The opposite end of the sleeve 51 is providedwith a series of pins 55 to which is pivotally connected the links 56,the outer ends of which are pivotally connected by the pins 57 to thelegs 58 of the bell crank levers 66 that are rotatably mounted on theshafts 61. The other legs 62 of the bell crank levers have ball memberspivotally mounted in the sockets 64 of the slides 65. The slides 65 areprovided with any suitable adjusting means such as the screws 66 thatoperate in the slide member and may be mechanically adjusted through thenonround end 67 to raise or lower the bearing 68 that houses the stubshaft 70, on the free end of which is journaled the rotary tool 71 whichin this instance is provided with a cutting disc 72. The tool 71 isordinarily provided with antifriction bearings so they may freely rotateon the stub shaft 70. Three or more of the slides 65 may be uniformlypositioned about the head 46 of the spindle 34 and each tool 72 may bethanually adjusted to its proper position relative to the axis 73 of themachine. Aiter the tools have been set and a stock is fed through theguide tube which is locked in position, then the tooi slide actuatingsleeve 51 is drawn to the right to swing the bell crank lever 6t) andthus feed the tools into the work.

It will be noted that an oil seal is placed between the spindle head 40and the annular bearing ring 23 to prevent any escape of oil past thebearing 24. It will be also noted that a labyrinth groove 75 is placedon the spindle head 40 and a corresponding tongue is placed on the ring3 so as to aid in sealing this end of the chamher or reservoir 2.However, the bearings 24 and 46 together with the gears 11 and 35continually operate in oil. Oil is circulated through the bearings 28and 46 and is sealed by the seal 48 between the retainer ring 47 and theguide tube 41. An seal 75 is positioned between the housing 44 and thebearing carrier ring 76 between which there is relating slidablemovement. The bearing retainer ring 47 locks the outer race 45 of thebearing 46 on the bearing carrier ring 76 and the bearing carrier ring76 is provided with a series of openings to receive the ends of thepiston rod 77 which are bolted thereto and which pass through thesealing or packing means 78 in aligned openings in the housing 44 topermit the rod 77 to be connected to their respective pistons 80 thatmove in the bores 81 between the chambers 82 and 83. The ends of thebores 81 are closed by the removable plugs $4 in the end wall of thehousing 4-4.

As shown in Fig. 2 the housing 44 has six piston rods 77 extendingtherefrom and each of these piston rods are packed by sealing means 78.The rim of the housing 44 is bolted to the machine casing 4 by means ofthe bolts 85. The two annular fluid chambers 82 and 83 are supplied bythe lines 86 and 37 and line 86 is attached to the threaded bore 88 thatextends directly into the chamber 82; whereas the line 87 passes througha bore in the housing 44 and through chamber 82 to the bore 90 betweenthe annular chambers 82 and 83. The line '87 is Welded to seal the sameas indicated at 91 and thus there is no fluid communication between theline 87 and the chamber 82. As illustrated in Fig. l the housing 44 isan integral unit being cored through the cylinder bores Referring toFigs. 3, 4 and 5 the housing 44 is made up of three separate castings.The outer casting 92 that is provided with openings 93 for receiving thebolts and the bores 94- in its end wall for receiving the packing 78 andthe piston rods 77 which bores are aligned with the cylinder bores 81 inthe cylinder housing ring 95. The other end of the housing 44 isenclosed by the cap member 96. Each of the three castings are stepped soas to provide a fluid type seal therebetween and form the two fluidchambers 82 and 83. The cap member 96 is likewise provided with openings97 in its end wall to receive the removable plugs 84 in alignment withthe cylinder bores 81. The three members are preferably welded along theabutting edges to secure the same togeth'er. The weld marks areindicated in Figs. 4 and 5 at 93.

Referring to Fig. 6 the casing or housing 99 is provided with areservoir 100 to carry hydraulic liquid for the servom'otor. Thishydraulic system is independent of the lubricant system and is providedwith a motor 101 driving a pump 102 through a coupling 103. The pump 'isprovided with an inlet 104 which extends down into the reservoir and isprovided with a filter 105. The output of the pump is delivered to thepressure control valve 106 which has a manual adjusting member 107 todetermine the pressure of the hydraulic liquid delivered to the outputline 103. The excessive liquid is returned through the bypass line 109.In operation the manual control valve has a bleed off line 110 whichdelivers any excessive leakage from the other side of the manual controlvalve 107 to the one way valve 111 which permits the liquid accumulatedto return to the reservoir through the pipe 112. The check valve 111prevents any pressure that may be generated in the reservoir to beapplied against the manual control valve 107.

The hydraulic oil under pressure is delivered by the pipe 108 to thevalve 113 which is a four way solenoid operated valve and it selectivelysupplies oil under pressure to the lines 87 and 86 to supply liquidunder pressure to either the annular chamber 83 or 82 respectively. Whenone annular chamber is supplied with hydraulic oil under pressure theother chamber is exhausted through the pipe 114 back to the reservoir100. A second bypass 115 is provided to bleed off any hydraulic fluid onthe opposite side of the valve operating mechanism as it is shifted fromone position to the other.

Thus the hydraulic oil under pressure is supplied to either the annularchamber 82 or the annular chamber 83 and the opposite chamber isexhausted. Since the chambers 82 and 83 are exposed to the oppositesides of the pistons 80 in their respective cylindrical bores 81, thefluid is effective in moving the pistons in the direction of the annularchamber that is being exhausted and thus a pressure is simultaneouslyapplied to all the pistons and their piston rods are simultaneouslymoved to travel the hearing carrier 76 to actuate the sleeve 51 and thusmove the slides to feed the tools into the work or retract them from thework. The equal annular placement of the pistons 80 provide a uniformdistribution of the pressures through the bearing carrier and throughthe tool slide actuating sleeve thus avoiding any wear or any unbalancedfriction load on the machine.

The pump 18 being constantly driven With the shaft 7 draws the lubricantfrom the bottom of the chamber'Z and causes it to be sprayed into thetop of the chamber 2 over the gears and the other elements to thoroughlylubricate the same and circulate from the sump at the bottom of thechamber 2. The pump 18 has the inlet 116 and an 'outlet 117 whichterminates in the spray nozzle 118 on the inside of the chamber 2. Thusa goodly supply of oil is retained within the chamber 2 and thecharacter of the bearings 24, 28 and 46 prevent the oil from beingpumped out of the chamber 2 and it thus may be readily held by the seals48, 74 and 75.

I claim:

1. A machine, including tool slide means and an actuating sleevetherefor, a servomotor with an annular housing having two end walls andenclosing two spaced annular chambers connected by a plurality ofcylinder bores in uniform spaced relation to each other, a piston ineach bore selectively operated by the fluid pressure in said annularchambers, a piston rod on each piston the end of which passes throughone chamber and out through sealed openings in one end wall, a bearingcarrier ring secured to the ends of all of said piston rods, anantifriction bearing having one race mounted in said bearing carrierring and its other race mounted on the tool silde actuating sleeve toreciprocate the latter.

2. Ihe structure of claim 1 characterized in that said annular housingis made up of a head section, a cylinder housing section and a capsection all made from a single integral member.

3. The structure of claim 1 characterized in that said annular housingis in three annular members secured together, namely the annularcylinder head which is mounted on the cutoff machine and carries thepiston rod sealed openings, the annular cylinder ring and the annularcap, said annular chambers being formed between said annular members.

4. The structure of claim 1 which also includes removable plugs in saidother end wall opposite to said cylinder bores to close openings throughwhich said pistons are passed for assembling.

5. The structure of claim 1 which also includes means defining alignedopenings through said one end wall and between said chambers, andconduit means extending through the end wall opening and sealedtherewith and having its inner end passing through one chamber andsealed with the opening between said chamber to supply fluid pressure tosaid other fluid chamber.

6. The structure of claim 1 characterized in that said antitrictionalbearing is of the ball type having one race split to mount the balls inplace and is thereafter secured together.

7. The structure of claim 1 which also includes a spindle keyed tosaidtool slide actuating sleeve permitting. reciprocating movement of thelatter in the spindle, an antifriction ball bearing with one race splitmounted in said cutoff machine to rotatably support one end of saidspindle, and an antifrictional cylindrical roller bearing having onerace surface with a coaxial cylindrical surface mounted in said cutoffmachine to rotatably support the other end of said spindle to allowexpansion and contraction of the spindle at that end only withoutaffecting the adjustment of said tool slide actuating sleeve.

8. The structure of claim 1 characterized by a spindle having a toolslide head at one end, a bore in said spindle opening to the other endof said spindle to support said tool slide actuating sleeve forreciprocation, spaced antifn'ctional bearings supporting the oppositeends of said spindle in said cutofi machine, and a guide tube having oneend fastened to the head end of said spindle and extending through saidtool slide actuating sleeve.

9. The structure of claim 8 characterized in that said antifirictionalbearings supporting said spindle are substantially the same diameter.

10. The structure of claim 8 characterized in that said head and sleevebearings are tight raced ball bearings and said bearing at the plane endof said spindle has one free race to permit expansion and contraction ofsaid spindle.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,828,371 Hyde et a1 Oct. 20, 1931 1,930,295 Von Henke Oct. 10, 19332,168,853 Abbey Aug. 8, 1939 2,186,061 Berg et al Jan. 9, 1940 2,562,879Abbey Aug. 7, 1951 2,636,350 Alcorn Apr. 28, 1953 2,681,106 Long June15, 1954 2,744,576 Kriegh May 8, 1956 2,745,253 Towler et a1. May 15,1956

